Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station in Niagara County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Fairchild C-119 "Flying Boxcar"
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., July 5, 2014
1. Fairchild C-119 "Flying Boxcar" Marker
This cold war transport entered the Air Force inventory in 1949, its nickname referring to its blocky fuselage and cargo carrying capability. The C-119F displayed here (serial #22105) was built in 1953 by Fairchild Aircraft in Hagerstown, MD. It served with the Royal Canadian Air Force until 1965, and afterwards fought forest fires in the U.S. northwest before becoming a static display in 1989 at General Mitchell Air Reserve Station in Milwaukee (440th AW).
The aircraft, on loan from the National Museum of the United States Air Force, was moved to Niagara Falls ARS in 2006. It honors a 440th TCW C-119G aircraft and crew that vanished over the "Bermuda Triangle" without a trace in June of 1965, and is painted to represent that plane, serial number 51-2680. The 328th Troop Carrier Squadron flew eighteen C-119G Boxcars at Niagara Falls Municipal Airport from 1958 to 1971, when they converted to the C-130A "Hercules."
Specifications
Wing Span: 109 feet 3-1/4 inches
Range: 2,000 miles
Cruise Speed: 200 mph
Length: 86 feet 5-3/4 inches
Maximum Weight: 74,000 pounds
Service Ceiling: 30,000 feet
Erected by 914th Airlift Wing (Air Force Reserve).
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space
this page online
Location. 43° 7.178′ N, 78° 56.476′ W. Marker is in Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, New York, in Niagara County. Marker and aircraft are on static display in Heritage Park, next to the station entrance off Lockport Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2720 Kirkbridge Drive, Niagara Falls NY 14304, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Douglas C-47 "Skytrain" (a few steps from this marker); The C-119G "Flying Boxcar" (within shouting distance of this marker); Bergholz (approx. 1.9 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 2.6 miles away); La Salle Built the Griffon (approx. 3.1 miles away); SSG. Aram J. Bass (approx. 3.2 miles away); In Memory of the Men of the Town of Wheatfield (approx. 3.4 miles away); A Feat of Engineering (approx. 3.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station.
More about this marker. Access is restricted due to the location being an air base adjacent to Niagara Falls International Airport.
Also see . . .
1. Fairchild C-119 "Flying Boxcar"
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., July 5, 2014
2. Fairchild C-119 "Flying Boxcar" and Marker
2. Fairchild C-119 “Flying Boxcar”. National Warbird Museum website entry (Submitted on January 2, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Additional commentary.
1. First flight as a loadmaster
This C-119G No. 680 was the first flight as a Loadmaster. I was on the search and rescue mission to try and find the crew in 1965 when it was lost. I lost a lot of friends on that flight. God bless them.
— Submitted December 13, 2014, by Jerry Kosmicki of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., July 5, 2014
3. Fairchild C-119 "Flying Boxcar"
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., July 5, 2014
4. Fairchild C-119 "Flying Boxcar"
Credits. This page was last revised on January 2, 2022. It was originally submitted on August 3, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 864 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 3, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
